#Asia 10 Christmas gifts under US$100 that will delight any tech geek

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‘Tis the season to be jolly, and to lavish upon each other with exciting gifts!

Christmas_gifts

When it comes to Christmas gifts, there is one unspoken fear that lingers in everyone’s minds: to receive a gift that is, well, not to be ungrateful, but of so little use to you that you either (1) sell it off on a classifieds platform (and pray to God the gifter never spots it), or (2) re-gift it to someone outside the gifter’s social circle, or (3) leave it sealed in its package till kingdom comes.

There are so many factors to consider and so little time. But if the receiving party is a techie, you are in luck – e27 has compiled a list of 10 useful and cool gift items that is guaranteed to not end up on Carousell, or worse, become a sorry-looking door stop. And the best thing is – they will not break the bank.

Secrid Mini Wallet

Secrid_Mini_Wallet

The Secrid Mini Wallet is a modest looking pint-sized wallet, holding a few banknotes and up to 12 cards. Its true beauty, however, lies in its mechanics. Its business card slot (a maximum of five cards) allows users to eject the cards out with a convenient switch.

For RFID-embedded cards storing important information such as bank details, the Secrid Mini Wallet is able to protect them from the risk of being copied using a card protector. A user review on Amazon reports that the wallet can store up to 8 to 10 banknotes.

It is currently retailing on Amazon for US$79.

Photojojo smartphones camera lens

cell-phone-lenses-2738.833x555_Photojojo

Smartphone are fast replacing professional cameras as the go-to choice for taking photos (at least for many non-professional photographers). But they are still not as versatile as those thousand-dollar DSLR cameras.

Photojojo has built a set of smartphone camera lens that will give the Instagram crowd a bigger range of photo angles. It offers a series of wide angle/macro, fisheye, super fisheye and telephoto lens; there is also a polarizer lens to cut out excessive sunlight.

Users simply have to attach a metal magplate (specially designed to blend in with the phone’s colour and design scheme) to the phone, then the lens attached to the plate with a special adhesive.

A set of two telephoto lens, a fisheye and a wide angle/macro lens will set you back only US$49.

Xiaomi Redmi 4A

Xiaomi

The cheapest model in Xiaomi’s new line of Redmi phones still packs quite a punch. It features a 5 inch display with 720p resolution, Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53, 16 GB of internal memory and a microSD slot that can support up to 256 GB memory, 13 MP rear end camera and 5 MP front camera.

And all this costs only S$126 (US$87) on Lazada.

For techies who need a spare phone for emergency or live out a double life. This is the perfect gift for them.

Xiaomi 20,000mAh Mi Power Bank

Xiaomi

Smartphones and laptops are not famed for their long battery lives. This is where portable power banks come in.

Xiaomi’s 20,000 mAh Mi Power Bank claims it can fully charge a Macbook at least once, and an iPhone 6 up to an impressive six times. It can also charge two devices at once, and supports Qualcomm quick charge 3.0. Recharging this beast takes about seven hours (which is fairly reasonable considering how much power it stores).

It is currently priced at S$45.90 (US$32) on Lazada.

cloudBit starter kit

cloudBit_starter_kit

The cloudBit starter kit is a DIY kit designed to make any device smart. It consists of six modules: a button, sound trigger, USB power port, motor,  long LED, and the cloudBit (which connects to the internet and sends signals to the smartphone). It also comes up with a USB power adapter and cable.

There are many, many ingenious concoctions with its IFTTT functions. Make an automatic feeder for the cat whenever someone sends a specific hashtag; send a tweet to the smartphone whenever someone rings a doorbell; use the smartphone to control the aircon at home remotely, etcetera. The possibilities are endless.

It currently retails for US$99.95 on cloudBit’s website.

WowWee Robosapien X

WowWee Robosapien X

What is 35 and a half centimetres and designed by a NASA scientist? A robot that is the perfect artificial playmate whether you are four or 40 years old. Using a smartphone as a controller, users can get WowWee Robosapien X to perform up to 67 programmable functions.

It can run and walk about in fluid motions, and even pick up objects. The robot also comes with a sound detection system that enables it to react to external noises.

WowWee Robosapien X currently retails on Amazon for US$79.99.

NES Classic Edition

NES_Classic_Edition

The original Nintendo Entertainment System – the console that brought the video gaming industry back from the brink. The new NES Classic Edition comes preloaded with 30 iconic NES games – some that would spawn successful franchises – including PAC MAN, Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Kirby’s Adventure, Castlevania, Kid Icarus, Ninja Gaiden, Mega Man 2, and many more.

It comes with one controller and, check this, it fits in the palm of your hand! Probably the most important aspect of the NES Classic Edition is that it connects to the television using a HDMI cable (this is very important because most flatscreen LED/LCD televisions now come only with HDMI ports).

It officially retails for US$59.99. Many major e-commerce sites are experiencing stock shortages and some sites have jacked up the price to far above US$100 (not worth it, in my opinion).

Kindle fire HD

Kindle_fire_HD

The Amazon Kindle Fire HD is a safe bet when it comes to gifts. The 20 cm tablet, powered by a Quadcore processor, is equipped with a 1280×800 HD display and can run for 12 hours. It is preloaded with 16gb of internal memory and has a microSD card slot that allows storage to be expanded to 200 GB.

The new Kindle Fire HD 8 has Alexa voice command capabilities so users can control apps by talking to it.

It retails for US$69.99 on Amazon.

Google Chromecast

Chromecast-2-and-Chromecast-Audio-2

Forget cable TV, the future of Hollywood and television lies in the hands of video streaming services.

Cord-cutting consumers can use the simple plug and play Google Chromecast to access a host of popular OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and YouTube. Just plug the device into the HDMI port of the television and all systems a go. Google Chromecast can also be used as a second screen for laptops.

A listing on Lazada prices the device at S$65 (US$45).

Amazon Tap

Amazon_Tap

Amazon Tap is an Alexa-enabled Bluetooth speaker, which means users can ask the device to play music from popular music-streaming services such as Spotify by using voice commands. Users can also ask Alexa to order food, or deliver the latest news reports.

As for the sound, the cylindrical design of Amazon Tap allows it to provide 360 degrees omni-directional audio. Amazon claims its uses Dolby technology to ensure that the sound is “crisp”.

Amazon Tap currently retails for US$89.99

Image Credit: alexraths / 123RF Stock Photo

The post 10 Christmas gifts under US$100 that will delight any tech geek appeared first on e27.

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